Kel's Blind Date
by Inthefire
Summary: Neal decides that Kel needs to be in a relationship, but with who? He decides to set up a blind date, with someone she doesn't know; or at least he doesn't think she knows. And Raoul has a few ideas of his own.
1. Chapter 1

Neal was standing at the edge of the practice courts, watching his friend Kel. He had come here to practice his shooting, but now that he was here, he didn't much feel like practicing. Kel was doing a practice dance with her glaive, her most prized weapon of all. Neal watched, almost in a trance-like state as she whirled the weapon around, slicing through the air. He hadn't seen his friend in many months, but since it was almost Midwinter, many people were coming back to the palace. Kel hadn't noticed Neal yet, which was good, because he didn't particularly want to talk with her just yet.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Merric enter the practice courts. Neal motioned for him to stop, and ran over to him. Neal walked with Merric until they were far enough away that Kel wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Merric, have you ever thought that Kel should, umm, find someone to be in a umm, relationship with?" Neal turned a bit red, seeing as they never had talked about their friend this way before.

"What, do you mean you?" Merric looked at Neal as if he was a bit crazy.

"No, not me, stupid. Mithros, you're almost as annoying as the Stump. You know that Kel would never see any of us that way. I mean that maybe we should set Kel up with someone she doesn't know."

"What did you just say about Kel?" Owen of Jesslaw nearly screamed out this remark, causing Kel to look around. Neal grabben Owen and dragged him behind a bush.

"Shut up! Do you want the whole world knowing who we're talking about?" Owen was nice, but not always the most tactical person. Owen glumly went silent. "Anyway, Merric, but I think I have someone in mind, someone Kel wouldn't have met yet. At least I don't believe she's met him."

Owen's eyes went big. "Do you mean you want to set Kel up on a…on a date?"

Merric nodded. "But Neal, you know that you can't just tell Kel, 'Oh, by the way, you're going on a date tomorrow' and expect her to show up. It'll be a little trickier than that."

"What if we get Lord Raoul to help us?," Owen asked, "He might want to help."

Neal looked at Merric. "You know, that's actually a pretty good idea. He'd probably be all for it."

Merric nodded. "It's a little too late to ask him today, what about tomorrow morning? Do you want me to come by your room?"

"I'll see you tomorrow Merric." Catching Owen's sad eyes, Neal asked Owen, "Do you want to come too?"

Owen nearly went catapulting to the moon. "YES! I'll see you tomorrow." Owen went running off, practically skipping.

Neal just looked at Merric, shrugged and headed back to his rooms. If he didn't hurry, his wonderful knight-master would be close to decapitating him. _I just cannot wait until tomorrow, _he mused, _this is going to be fun._

Attempting to avoid Alanna, Neal carefully snuck into his room, which adjoined to his knight-master's. He listened at the connecting door, but heard nothing. _This is almost too good to be true... maybe she won't destroy me for staying out too late. _Still hearing no sign of Alanna, Neal decided to go to bed, still excited with his plans for Kel.

**I was going to make this a one-shot, but that changed when I was 1) too lazy to write the entire thing out, 2) it would be a fairly long one-shot and 3) I started losing inspiration at the end of chapter 2. So I need you to review so that I can keep going (please!)**

**And doncha want to know who Kel goes on a date with? **

**Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns everything recognizable.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Ahhh!" A blast of icy-cold water shocked Neal awake. Opening his eyes, he saw Alanna glaring at him furiously. _Oh, crap. I guess it _was _too good to be true._

"Where were you last night? I had told you to be back before 6 so that we could go over the healing of broken noses. You were 2 hours late! I ought to take you out to the practice courts and use you for target practice." The Lioness's notorious temper was something to always be dreaded when she was your knight-master, but she seemed to take particular joy in attacking Neal.

"I was umm─" Neal was interrupted by the sound of knocking on his door. Alanna went over to the door and yanked it open. It was Owen and Merric.

"We were wondering if Neal could…," Owen's voice trailed off as he saw the Lioness's raging purple eyes.

Alanna turned to glare at Neal. _Oh no, _thought Neal, _this won't be pretty. _"Nealan will have plenty of time to see his friends later," Neal flinched; he always knew he was in trouble when his knight-master used his real name.

Owen and Merric looked at each other, and quickly scurried away. _Oh, so I can't even depend on my friends for protection. _The Lioness did not wait much time before giving Neal his punishment."Once you have dressed, come into the study. It's not too late to begin studying broken noses. In fact, why don't we use you as the test subject? You can try healing your own nose. If I were you though, I wouldn't wear anything that gets stained easily; blood can be nasty to get out."

_Crap. I hate it when she gets like this! This shouldn't be legal. _Alanna had done something of the sort before, several times in fact, but was never pleasant, to say the least. Neal dragged himself into Alanna's rooms, preparing himself for a quite unpleasant lesson.

* * *

Neal brought his hand up to his nose and touched it. He cringed, seeing as it was still fairly tender. _I guess having your nose broken will do that. _He'd actually had his nose broken twice: Alanna had broken it the first time so that he could try to heal it, which he had been able to, sort of. Alanna had decided that his nose was too crooked, and broke it again so that she could heal it properly.

"Neal! Over here!" Neal turned to see Owen waving his hands manically in the air. "Let's go talk to Lord Raoul!" Neal nodded and the 3 set off for Lord Raoul.

Merric was looking at Neal curiously, which Neal noticed and asked, "What?"

"Is that blood on your tunic Neal," Merric was closely scrutinizing Neal's shirt, "Because it looks a lot like it."

Neal looked down and responded, "Oh, I didn't see that. I guess so"

Owen had a mix of disappointment and excitement on his face, "Did you get into a fight with another squire? Why didn't you bring me?"

"No, I didn't get into a fight," he replied with a heavy sigh, "The Lioness broke my nose."

"Did you get into a fight with her?"

"No! She broke my nose and then told me to fix it."

Merric and Owen flinched. "Ouch," they replied, almost in unison.

Neal didn't reply because they had reached Lord Raoul's quarters. "Here we go," he muttered, and knocked on the door.

Lord Raoul answered the door. "Hello squires," he said pleasantly, "If you're looking for Kel, she's at the practice courts, as usual."

"That's what we figured," Merric said with a quick bow, which the other boys followed, "We actually wanted to talk to you, Lord Raoul."

"We have a plan for Kel, and we thought you might be able to help us," Neal smiled mischievously.

Lord Raoul looked slightly perplexed but said, "Why don't you all come in then," and motioned for them to enter.

Raoul led them into what must have been the dining room, but seeing as it was covered with armor, it was clear that no dining had occurred there recently. Raoul motioned for all of them to sit down. "So what is this plan you have?" he asked.

"Well sir, we thought it would be good for Kel if she were to umm, get some experience with the whole courting business," Neal laughed nervously after he said this.

Lord Raoul got straight to the point. "So you want to set Kel up on date," he remarked, "That's an interesting idea". _And it might be good for her too, _he thought, _Kel will have to deal with match-making mothers some day too, like me. It's better for her to have some experience for what that would be like. _"I think I can help you boys, but how do you intend to get Kel to show up?" _Kel's always teased me when I have meet ladies for dates, now she'll experience it herself, _Raoul grinned mischievously at this thought.

"We could kidnap Kel, and drag her there," Owen chirped.

Merric shook his head, "But we want her to look good for this. We can't exactly haul someone kicking and screaming and expect them to look their best.

"I agree with Merric," Lord Raoul said, "I'll have to trick her into it. I'll say that we have to go to a dinner party or something like that. I'll even get dressed for it so she doesn't suspect anything."

Neal looked pleased. "Good plan; we'll tell you where and when this will be."

The three boys were getting up to leave when Lord Raoul asked, "But who do you have to go on this date with Kel?"

"Don't worry about that, sir," Neal began to grin, "I'll take care of that." The trio got up, bowed to Lord Raoul, and left.

As the three were standing outside Raoul's door, Neal told the others, "It's almost dinner so we should get ready, but meet me in the courtyard a bit before dinner."

Owen and Merric agreed, and went off to go get ready for dinner.

**I promise that Kel's date will be revealed next chapter!!! I'm just trying to work it out and it didn't seem right to me so I didn't want to post it just yet. **

**Please review!!! (it helps validate all the time that I spend writing that I should spend studying)**

**As usual, everything recognizable belongs to Tamora Pierce**


	3. Chapter 3

Neal stood waiting for the others when Owen popped up from behind the fountain.

"Hey Neal, do you need me? I haven't seen Kel yet and I really want to talk to her," Owen said.

"Just be careful not to say anything to her, Owen," Neal warned. Owen was known for being very cheerful and talkative, but he often let things slip that he shouldn't.

"I'll be careful, but can you tell me everything that you decide about the date?" Owen asked, but he ran off before Neal could answer.

"Where's Owen going?" Merric's voice scared Neal; he hadn't seen him arrive.

"Oh, he couldn't wait to see Kel," Neal answered, "So he's going to talk to her. Why don't we go see Kel too? I haven't seen her either."

Neal and Merric began to walk towards the practice courts to see Kel for themselves. "So Neal, you have an idea for who you want to set Kel up with, don't you?"

"How'd you know Merric?"

"Well between the endless grinning and mischievous smiles, I figured you had a plan," Merric said with a smile, "But who is it?"

"Well I don't believe that Kel's met him yet, and he's a bit of a ladies man, so it shouldn't be too difficult to make him go."

"Just tell me who it is!" Merric sounded exasperated.

"Okay, okay, calm down Merric," Neal grinned again, "His name is Dom, Domitan of Masbolle. He's my cousin.

Back in his room, Lord Raoul was pacing. _Neal has a good idea, but who will he pick? _Raoul pondered. _I don't want to say I don't trust Neal, but he can be a bit…clueless at times. He means well, but I fear his choice will not be the best for Kel. I'll bring someone else along, but who? _

Raoul contemplated all the young men he could think of. _But, like Neal said, it should be someone she doesn't know. _"Ouch!" Raoul was so deep in thought that he didn't realize that he had walked straight into the wall. A map fluttered to the floor near the place where he had hit the wall. _Oh, it's the map Alanna gave me. If she sees it wrinkled she'll kill me._

"That's it!" he shouted and tossed the map across the room. _Thom, Alanna's son. He's about Kel's age isn't he? And they've never met either, seeing as Kel hasn't been allowed to meet Alanna. _Retrieving the map, Raoul pinned the it to the wall, pleased with himself. _I can't tell Alanna though, I'm not sure if she'd agree, and if she didn't, I don't want to cancel this plan; it's perfect._

"Hello sir." Kel's voice interrupted Raoul's stream of thoughts.

"Oh, hi Kel, how was your glaive practice?" Raoul looked flustered, and Kel noticed.

"Is something the matter, sir?"

_I have to be careful to keep this a secret from Kel, _he thought. "No, nothing's the matter, Kel. I'm just a little tired." Kel looked at him a little funny, seeing as he had slept till noon that day, but just nodded. "We should probably get ready for dinner," he added quickly. Kel nodded again, and went into her room to get changed. _This is going to be harder than I thought._

**NOTE: In this fanfic, Neal does not know that Kel has met Dom. Sorry it took me a little while to update, but I wanted to make sure that everything was going to work out. I didn't get a chance to personally think everyone who reviewed last time, so I'm going to do that now:**

**Thanks to:  
MC11  
spazzysassyangel  
somebody  
.. (and the whole Alanna scene is my favorite :)  
SarahE7191  
mistmagic  
Pounce'sStarlet  
****JollyLass  
quickreader93  
****annnnnn**

**(and thanks extra to all those who reveiewed twice) Reviews make me so happy, please do so!**

**PS: Tamora Pierce owns all characters and recongizable things**

**_PPS: I updated this because thanks to .. I decided to fix a few errors. And then I noticed that in the thank yous a few of the names turned into weird little dots instead. So I fixed that. And PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE (please?) tell me if there are errors! I have a beta, but both she and I are busy (she's probably busier than I am) so she might have missed something (I miss just about everything), so if you see something please help me out! And also (so you all know its not my beta'a fault) I get impatient and like to post things once I've decided I'm done with them, and if she didn't get a chance to review it, sometimes I go and post it anyway...I think this was one of those chapters. _**


	4. Chapter 4

Three days later Lord Raoul ran into Neal, literally. He had been carrying a large amount of armor, and was rushing to get it fitted when he smacked into Neal. All the armor went flying, and Neal scrambled to help pick it up.

"Oh, sorry Neal," Raoul said sheepishly, "I didn't see you there."

"That's quite all right, sir," Neal smiled and continued, "By the way, when do you think we should execute our plan; in a week or so?"

"How about Sunday? That gives us five days to make sure that everything is planned perfectly."

"But we still need a place to meet, sir."

"We should have the dinner in the city, rather than at Court. We don't want anyone we know to see us. Rumors spread quickly, infecting all with their poison." Lord Raoul spoke from experience; both his life as a bachelor and his knight-mastership with Kel had caused others to gosspip viciously about him.

"I'll give Merric the news," Neal said, "He'll be glad to know the plan."

"That's fine Neal, but..." Lord Raoul shifted nervously. "I wouldn't necessarily tell Owen, he gets excited rather easily."

"I agree with you, Lord Raoul," Neal said with a bow before running off.

_I can't forget to speak with Thom about this. I believe he's in Corus with his mother and the rest of his family for their annual visit to see Jon, _Raoul thought, _I'll send a message for him to meet me in my rooms later today. _Raoul saw a group of pages walking by, and asked them if they would be willing to request that Thom of Pirate's Swoop come see Raoul. The pages quickly complied, and Raoul returned to his quarters to await Thom's arrival.

A half-hour after Raoul had returned he heard the sound of a fist beating on his door. He quickly got up to answer the door, an expression of excitement on his face. "Ah Thom," he said jovially, a smile on his face, "It's good to see you. Come in, I have something to talk to you about."

"I'm glad to see you too, Uncle Raoul," Thom replied, sitting down, "But why did you call me over here?"

"I have a proposition for you. There's someone that I'm attempting to set up, and I thought of you. Would you be interested?" Raoul asked.

Thom contemplated this for a moment, his face thoughtful. "Do you mean on a date?" he asked Raoul. "Is she pretty?" he asked tentatively after Raoul nodded.

"Yes, very much so." Raoul smiled. "Thom, have you ever been in a relationship?" Raoul asked his adopted nephew suddenly.

Thom turned red. "No," he mumbled, looking at the ground.

Raoul looked sympathetic. "It's your wretched mother's fault," he told Thom, "for never introducing you to any of the Court ladies."

Thom looked remotely amused. Rarely did anyone ever say a word against his mother, for they were fearful of the consequences. However, on the rare occasion that someone did, it entertained Thom.

"When is this date, Uncle Raoul?"

"Sunday. But I don't believe I can take you. I have to take the girl there, and since it's supposed to be a secret, I can hardly take you with me." A mischievous smirk crossed Raoul's face. "Do you think that your father might be interested in helping us out?"

An amused look touched Thom's face. "What, Da? It's a secret date, and seeing as he lives for secrecy, I'm sure he'll be interested."

"Good. I'll talk to him tomorrow, if not today. I'm sure he can be of help to our plan." Raoul stood up, and Thom followed the motion and walked towards the door. "Thanks for your help, Thom. I really appreciate it," he added before he shut the door behind Thom.

* * *

At about the same time Raoul was talking to Thom, Neal was talking to his cousin, Dom, about the same situation. Or at least he was attempting to.

"Just spit it out, Meathead." Dom sighed with frustration and flopped onto Neal's bed. "I don't have all day. Even though it's Midwinter soon, I still have to train with the Own."

"I'm getting to it, okay?" Neal said with a similar frustration, "It's just…" Neal's voice faded. He had no idea why he was having difficulty voicing his plot.

Dom thought Neal was acting strangely, but he decided just to forget about it.

"And could you _please_ stop that?" Neal asked sharply.

"Stop what?" Dom asked, before he realized that eh had subconsciously begun to bounce on the bed.

"Alanna makes me keep my room clean. She thinks that if I keep my room clean it'll teach me a lesson. Apparently it's a lesson she hasn't learned yet, considering the condition of her quarters." Neal smiled. "But if I were to bring that point up, it would probably result in me having to clean her room, or some other punishment. Anyway, back to what I'm supposed to tell you.

"Merric and I have been plotting a date, a blind date, for a friend of mine," Neal continued, "And seeing as you probably have the record for most women in the entire realm, I thought you might be interested."

Dom pondered this for a minute before responding, "Depends. Who is she?"

"I can't tell you. It's not that I don't trust you," Neal began, but quickly rethought this. "Actually, it is because I don't trust you. It's on Sunday. But she's very pretty, if that helps you."

This added detail, did seem to affect Dom's decision. "Well, you should have said that from the beginning. I was supposed to meet with Raoul then, but since she's pretty…"

"Mithros, you are such a dolt! Why do they always have to be pretty?"

Dom snorted, a look of amusement on his face. "Why would I date ugly girls when I can have the beautiful ones?"

Neal sighed and added, "I'll tell you where, and what time you have to be there. Now can you leave? You're annoying me."

**It's been a little while since I updated. I usually like to have the next chapter in editing before I post the previous one, but I've had a busy week and this is all I've written. I felt bad though, and decided to post this. Tell me what you think (please)!**

**I would like to thank:**

**Kari of Mindelan: thanks! But I'm not sure if Kel and Thom are going to be having any fun actually...but even if I did, I wouldn't tell you XD**

**...: thanks you sososososo much for telling me I spelled Masbolle wrong, I really appreciate it!**

**SarahE7191: I didn't know who she was going to be with until like 2 days ago...because I jsut got this brilliant idea (well I think so) and I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with that.**

**spazzysassyangel: Actually if you look on Tamora Pierce's timeline, Kel is only a few months older than Thom, but Alan is much younger (also in the Trickster series Aly says something about her mother being obsessed with Kel who is a few years older than her- and ALan is Aly's twin). But thanks for the concern (and the review) :)**

**Bookworm290: Thanks! and Raoul has always been one of my favorite characters, which is why Squire is my favorite Kel book.**

**JollyLass: No problem (and thanks again :) And sorry I took a bit longer than normal to update (its 7 days instead of my typical 5)**

**Somebody: I see what you mean with Thom. And the problem with Thom (or a good thing, but I think its bad) is that he's not seen much in the books at all, so there's really no opportunity to see what he's like. So its hard to stay in character if you don't know what his character is...but I DO like Thom, so I'm not sure what's going to happen to him.**

**Please review!!**


	5. Chapter 5

Raoul woke up the next morning, exhausted from the previous night's training session. Just because the men of the King's Own were back at Court for the winter holidays, it didn't mean that they were allowed to get out of shape. Enemies could attack at any time, even at Midwinter. _I wish all the armies would just agree to take a vacation during winter, _Raoul thought grumpily.

Raoul knew that as a commander, he was not required to train with the rest of his men. Many commanders would have simply sat atop their horses and yelled orders, but Raoul respected his men enough to train with them. And he didn't get the title of "Goldenlake the Giant-killer" by lounging around. But still, there were the occasional times when he regretted his participation in the training sessions. Even before Raoul dragged himself out of bed he was anticipating soreness. But actually experiencing the pain in his back, legs and arms was entirely different.

Raoul had only had his clothes on for a minute before he heard a knock on the door that connected his room to that of his squire. He groaned as a look of displeasure crossed his face. Raoul did not want Kel to see him like this; with her Yamani mask she made him look like a wimp.

"Hello Kel," Raoul said, unsuccessfully attempting to keep the grimace from his face.

Kel, who had spent a considerable amount of time with her knight-master, was able to read his face. Kel knew that Raoul hated having his weaknesses pointed out to him, so she did not bother mentioning what she had interpreted to be morning soreness. Instead, she said, "Sir, you mentioned yesterday that you wanted to joust today. What time would you like me to be at the stables?"

Raoul gave an internal shudder. Despite the fact that he was stronger, taller and heavier than Kel, when her lance hit his shield it still resounded throughout his body. A normal jousting lesson with Kel was little more than uncomfortable, but with his current situation, a joust would be quite painful. _I'm going to have to ask Alanna to remove the soreness, _he concluded with a sigh. He had the premonition that Alanna was going to tease him mercilessly, but it would be well worth it; jousting in his situation was not an option.

"Umm, sir?'

"What, oh sorry Kel," Raoul apologized. He had been so deep in thought that he had forgotten to answer his squire's question. "How about three? That gives us plenty of time to get ready for dinner afterwards." Kel nodded, and headed off to lunch; it was already almost noon.

* * *

Raoul was knocking on Alanna's door, hoping that she was in, when the door opened to reveal a much smaller person than he had been expecting.

"Hi Uncle Raoul," Aly chirped, a smile spreading across her face. "I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Hello Aly," Raoul replied cheerfully, "Is your mother there? I have a question to ask her."

"She's still here, I think. She was going to go see Uncle Jon, but I don't think that she's left yet," Aly's smile had fallen a bit when she realized that Raoul was not there to see her.

"Thanks, Aly. I'll talk to you more later, okay?" Raoul headed into Alanna's study, where he found her hunched over a set of maps. "Going somewhere, Alanna?"

The sound of Raoul's voice made Alanna look up, though it did not seem to startle her. After years of being the King's Champion, there was very little that scared The Lioness. "Actually yes. That's why I have to go see Jon soon. Apparently he has some sort of a mission for me, although I hate to leave. The children do hate it when I run off and I really don't want to disappoint them, but duty is duty. So what brings you here Raoul?"

"Do you have a minute? If you're supposed to see Jon─"

Alanna cut Raoul off mid-sentence. "Well technically I'm already a minute late. But I like to test Jon's patience as a king by making him wait for me. I consider it part of my duty to ensure that he doesn't become obsessed with his kingliness."

Raoul took a gulp, remembering the task at hand. "Well, I umm, need you to cure my soreness. I'm working on jousting with Kel today and after the practice with the Own last night…"

It was at this point that Alanna began laughing. _Oh, great, _Raoul thought, _I forgot how much I hate asking Alanna for things like this. _When Alanna was still laughing after a few moments, Raoul punched her on the arm.

"If you keep acting like that I won't help you," Alanna warned, "But fine, I will. Just hold still for a moment." A flash of purple washed over Raoul's body, and he let out a sigh of relief. "Kel has bruise balm, you know. But you probably hate asking her for things like that seeing as you are her knight-master." Raoul didn't really respond, other than a few mumbled words, and Alanna continued, "I really should go. I don't want Jon to start yelling at me again. While I don't believe that he deserves an iota more of respect than I give him now, the traditionalists do. And I hate getting in trouble with them. It's annoying to have to deal with their furious glares and such."

"I'll see you later Alanna." As Raoul turned from Alanna, who had just walked out the door, he walked straight into George. "Oh George, I actually was looking for you. I'm glad to see you."  
George looked slightly perplexed. "Why did you want t'see me? Aly said you were looking for my lass."

"Oh, I had to talk to her too. But I have a plot that I need to help you with."

"Is this what Thom was talkin' about? He mention'd something about a date, I think."

Raoul nodded. "I want to set my squire up on a date. And I thought that Thom would be a good choice. But I'm going to need some help. I haven't told anyone the details yet, not even Thom, but I figured that I could trust you."

George grinned. "I let nothin' slip. Alanna can attest to that."

"I believe you. So what we need to do is figure out the logistics of the plan; where we're going, how we're getting there, and the like," Raoul said.

The men spent the next half hour discussing possible plans before settling on what they believed to be the best, in both convenience and secrecy.

"Okay, so this is how it goes," George said, making sure that he fully understood, "You'll be takin' Kel to the restaurant. You tell her that you're waitin' for the rest of the party to arrive that you're supposed to have dinner with. And then I bring Thom, an' the two of us leave."

Raoul confirmed this just as Alanna was returning from Jon. "I should go," Raoul said.

"Why are you still here Raoul?" Alanna asked, a slight look of confusion on her face.

"Oh, I was just catching up with George," Raoul replied easily, "I haven't seen him in awhile." Alanna nodded, her face changing to one of understanding. "But I should be going," Raoul continued, "Kel and I are supposed to joust today."

"I'll see you t'moro, Raoul," George called as Raoul was leaving. Raoul turned around, gave one last wave, and headed off.

* * *

"Kel, are you there? Are you okay?" The sound of Lord Raoul's worried voice, accompanied with the shaking of her shoulders, helped to coax Kel out of her momentary unconsciousness.

She opened her eyes and saw Raoul's figure slowly moving back and forth. With a great effort she sat up, but gasped slightly at the dizziness she experienced, and lay back down.

"Kel, are you okay? Can you see anything? How many fingers am I holding up?" Raoul frantically waved his hand in front of Kel's face, the anxiety on his face deepening.

Kel, who was barely able to open her eyes, let alone count fingers, let out an unintelligible sound before drifting into a slumber once again. Raoul, now becoming frantic, jumped up and began running for help. He was about to hop over the fence when he spotted Neal, who was walking towards the stables.

"Neal! Over here!" Raoul yelled to Neal, who quickly spun around and began running towards Raoul. Raoul pointed towards Kel, and almost instantaneously Neal was kneeling beside her.

"What happened?" Neal, who was illuminating Kel's body with his gift, asked.

Raoul launched into a hurried explanation, "We were jousting, and it was our fifth time around. I saw that Kel was sagging a bit, but when I asked her how she was feeling she said she was fine. But when we collided, she just didn't hold up her shield as well. She went flying, and when she hit the ground, she was knocked unconscious." Raoul took a deep breath before continuing, "She moved a bit, but then was unconscious again." Raoul attempted to shake the concern from his head, now that Neal was here, but he was still worried. "Will she be okay?"

Neal, exhausted from the healing he was attempting, looked up with a wan smile. "She should be fine," he assured Lord Raoul, "She only has a concussion; nothing too major." Raoul let out a sigh of relief; he never would have forgiven himself if he had hurt Kel jousting.

Many of Raoul's fellow knight's were displeased that he was training his squire in jousting so early on. Most squires did not begin jousting until their third or fourth year, but Kel had begun her second year. Some claimed that it was too dangerous for a girl to be jousting with someone as adept as Lord Raoul. But they didn't see the talent Kel possessed. All they saw was a girl who carried a shield when she should be carrying a fan. Raoul had more faith in Kel, but if he had been misguided… _It doesn't matter what could have been, _Raoul told himself, _she's fine._

Neal, who was continuing his inspection of his friend, interrupted Lord Raoul's thoughts, "She should stay in bed for a bit though─ a problem could develop if she isn't careful. I'll carry her back to your rooms for you." As Raoul began to protest, offering that he'd carry her himself, Neal insisted, "No really, it's no problem sir. I don't doubt that you could do it, but I'd rather do it myself. Since she's now my patient, I want to make sure nothing goes wrong. I'll stay with her until you finish with your horse."

Raoul cleared his throat. "That's not necessary, Neal. I can send someone…" But the look on Neal's face made it clear that Neal was not about to give up so easily. "I'll try to get there as soon as I can. I'm sorry to bother you like this, Neal."

Neal smiled. "It's no bother. This is what Lady Alanna's training me for." Neal stooped to pick up Kel, who was actually a lot heavier than he had anticipated. _I guess it's all that extra muscle, _Neal thought.

Neal knew that Raoul was probably stronger than he was, and more used to carrying damsels in distress, but Neal couldn't let Kel go. He felt that he was personally responsible for her safety, although he had already fulfilled his job as healer. Neal couldn't help but look at his friend, who was looking so unusually vulnerable. He wondered what it would be like to take her into his arms and hold her, really hold her when she was conscious.

_No. _Neal pushed this thought from his head. He and Kel were friends, and simply that. He told himself that it was the sight of Kel's uncommon defenselessness that was triggering these thought, not Kel herself. By the time Neal had arrived at Kel's quarters he had banished all remnants of these thoughts. Neal had just lowered Kel to her bed when Raoul sprinted into the room, clearly winded.

Breathing heavily, Raoul began to speak, although what he was saying was barely comprehensible because he was gasping frequently. The only phrases Neal was able to make out were "Alanna said" and "kill me". Neal sat Raoul down in his chair, and gave him a glass of water. After a few minutes, Raoul was able to speak again.

"I ran into Alanna in the stables right after you left," Raoul began, "And she asked me if I had seen you recently. I should have known better, but I told her I had. She said that since I was the last knight to interact with her "missing" squire, I was responsible. If I don't have you back to your lovely knight-master within the quarter-hour, she's going to slaughter me."

Although Neal wanted to stay with Kel to confirm that she was healing properly, he recognized the danger that Alanna's fury posed to them. After one quick magical check, Neal ran off to find Alanna, knowing that the consequences of being late would be far greater than they were already.

**Hey so I'm really sorry that it has been really long since I updated, so this is a bit longer than I normally write (actually, this was supposed to be a chapter and a half) to make up for it.**

**And since I have a snow day tomorrow, I can stay up late writing this instead of the essay I was supposed to write for tomorrow (hehe).**

**I'm sorry it's been so long (and I usually like to have the next chapter written before I post, but I felt that I owed it to you guys to post this, even though its all I have to show in like 2 weeks). I've just been so busy. Over the weekend I spent 11 hours doing AP Chemistry (no joke, I did 3 on Friday, 2 on Saturday, 5 on Sunday, and 1 on Monday) plus 2 essays and other crap. **

**But please review! It makes me energized and I always write more after I get reviews. I really appreciate them! **

**PS: I'm sorry I complained to you...I'm just really stressed, which I'm sure you guys are too...thanks again :)**


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a few days since Kel had received her jousting injury and she was feeling much better. She was feeling exceedingly antsy; staying in bed was not an activity that suited Kel. She was convinced that she was well enough to be training again, but both Neal and Raoul were keeping her in bed.

When Kel looked at Raoul she could see the traces of anguish that tinted his face. Kel knew that Raoul was worried, and she felt as if it were her fault. Yes, Raoul had been the one wielding the weapon, but Kel hadn't been paying attention. Peachblossom had been exceedingly cranky that morning, and Kel had been preoccupied in her attempts to mollify her horse when she went flying. Kel didn't remember much else, only flashes until she had fully regained consciousness a day later.

Neal had seemed to be acting a bit strangely around Kel lately, but she had put it down as worry about her condition. Lord Raoul had also been slightly aloof, as if he was in the midst of a grand scheme.

Neal had been present regularly in the past few days, representing her imprisonment in her own bedroom. But neither Raoul nor Neal was in the room currently, and Kel viewed it as an opportunity to escape.

She pulled on her training clothes, a smile spreading across her face. _I should hurry though, _Kel thought, _one of them could be back at any moment. _She snuck out of her rooms, watching vigilantly for any signs of her keepers. A scraping sound sent Kel, suddenly fearful, into the nearby kitchen doorway. Kel was peeking into the hallway when a cat, chasing a mouse, scurried around the corner. A sensation of relief had just washed over Kel when a new sound froze her in place. A vexed sigh came from behind her accompanied by a voice, "I thought I had told you to _stay _in bed."

Kel gulped before turning around. Standing behind her, looking even larger than usual, was Lord Raoul. "I need to get out of my room," Kel said simply, hoping that Raoul would submit and allow her to go outdoors finally.

But Raoul smiled maliciously. "Never fear, my squire," he said, "On Sunday we leave court for a night. I have a family gathering that I'm required to attend, and so are you." Before Kel could begin to protest, Raoul continued, "Because you _do _want to leave your rooms don't you Kel? Of course, if you don't want to attend, you can stay in your room for another week."

As what Raoul had said began to sink in Kel began to mutter things about "traitors" and "jail-keepers". But she didn't dare protest for fear of being held captive longer.

"I'll tell my family you accept," Raoul said smoothly, an expression of triumph on his face, "And Neal is waiting for you back in the study; he wants to check up on you again." And with that, Raoul walked off, confident that he would no longer have to walk Kel back to her room any longer.

Raoul was getting more and more excited as Kel's date approached. He had met with George again, and had settled on the exact location for the date. It was a small restaurant, so small that it would be highly unlikely for anyone from Court to go there. He had told Neal, feeling as if he had to, because the date was Neal's idea to begin with. Raoul invited Neal to dinner along with him and George, slightly regretting it as he said it. Raoul was afraid that, despite Neal's good intentions, he might ruin the plan. But Neal's excitement at the plan told Raoul that it was the right thing to do.

But the one thing that Raoul forgot to tell Neal was that he had arranged Kel's date. And because Neal was still under the impression that he was brining the date, this would be Raoul's greatest mistake yet.

* * *

Neal was wandering around Court the following day, attempting to avoid his knight-mistress, when he decided to tell Dom about the date's final details. It was almost noon, so the men would be returning from training for lunch. Neal headed to the Own's stables, where he was sure that he would find his cousin.

When Neal entered the stables he immediately saw his cousin, who was grooming his horse. Neal crossed the room, poked Dom in the back, and hid behind the stall door. Dom, who Neal had attempted─ and failed to play the same trick on many times, picked up a bundle of hay, and dumped it exactly when Neal was hiding.

"Sorry, Meathead," Dom said, "That trick didn't work on me yesterday, and it's still not going to work today."

Neal stood up, brushing hay off him. "But there's no harm in trying," he commented, smiling slyly, "But I'm actually here for a reason. The location has been set for your date. I'm not going to tell you though, because I still don't trust you. Just like yesterday. I'll meet you by the stables on Sunday at five o'clock. Don't be late."

Neal was walking out of the stables when Raoul entered. "Oh hello, sir," Neal said.

"Coming to see your cousin?" Lord Raoul asked, "Actually so am I". Neal affirmed his question, bid Raoul a good day, and returned to Alanna's quarters.

Lord Raoul walked up to Dom and tapped his shoulder. Dom turned around, greeted Lord Raoul, and asked, "Do you need something?"

"I've come to tell you that I cannot meet with you Sunday night, like we planned. Something's come up." Raoul said. Dom felt a small surge of relief; he would not have to tell his Commander that he was busy, especially since his new commitment was a date.

"That's okay. We can reschedule sometime," Dom replied.

"I'm glad you understand." Raoul smiled as he turned to leave.

It was very unlike Raoul to cancel so suddenly. After Raoul left, the only thing that was on Dom's mind was, _I wonder what he's doing Sunday night._

**Thanks to my reviewers: darkakane, SarahE7191, codie-shortie, and spazzysassyangel. It's much appreciated ;D**

**Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

As Neal pulled his shirt over his head, he realized that it was the day for Kel's blind date. It was the day that he had been anxiously planning for awhile with Raoul, and he couldn't believe that it was actually here. Neal was beginning to do a little dance when his knight-master walked in.

Neal turned red, and attempted to look as if he was scratching his back. Alanna snickered, but quickly replaced her smile with a scowl. "I have two meetings with Jon today, which means that you have the day off," Alanna said. Leaving the room, she grumbled, "Why do _I _have to go both? Raoul doesn't have to, and neither does George."

Neal smiled. Alanna's anger was amusing, but only when it wasn't directed at him. He figured that Alanna was especially frustrated because she had attended a meeting last week that had lasted seven hours, and the king had promised her that it would never happen again. But much to Neal's delight, Alanna had gone to today's meeting out of duty, leaving him to do whatever he pleased throughout the day.

* * *

The king stood and looked around the long table full of his consultants. "Well it looks as if we're done here for now," he said, "But for those of you who are to attend the afternoon meeting, please meet back here in one hour. Lunch is being provided in the buffet hall."

Raoul sighed, relieved at Jon's statement. He liked meetings little more than he did parties, and couldn't wait to escape. Raoul caught George's eye, who was motioning him over.

Raoul crossed the room and shook George's hand. George whispered into his ear, "Are you ready?"

Raoul smiled, and nodded, "I can't wait," he said, "When I see her face, it's going to be great." Raoul looked at George, who was making frantic motions with his hands. "George, what─"

"See whose face?" Alanna interrupted, "George, stop that. You look even more ridiculous than you normally do." _Oh, so that's what George was signaling, _Raoul thought. "Well?" Alanna asked, cocking her head to the side.

"No one," Raoul said quickly, and attempted to turn away. But Alanna caught his shoulder and swung him back around to face her.

"Hmm, I don't believe I know anyone by the name of No One. Why don't you give me a real answer," Alanna demanded, gripping Raoul's shoulder tighter. Raoul winced. He wasn't a good liar, and he could hardly tell Alanna the truth. Jon, taking in the situation, came to rescue Raoul.

"Hello Raoul, George," the king nodded to each of them before moving onto Alanna. "My dear Champion, why don't we go to lunch? You wouldn't want to be late for the second meeting, as you were late this morning."

Alanna scowled. "Of course. I would never aspire to undermine your kingliness by being late," she said sarcastically.

Jon, who was used to Alanna's behavior by now, had a glimmer of a smile on his face. He slipped his arm through Alanna's, but she tugged away. "I know you're mad at me Alanna, and you have reason to be."

"Yes, I do," Alanna affirmed.

"But people value your opinion, Alanna. When you're not here, people ask me when you're going to return. Come sit with me at lunch. I never get to talk with you anymore. You're so busy with the children and everything."

Alanna now felt as if she was cornered. She knew that Jon was right, and looked around the room for help. Unfortunately, she found it empty. Apparently Raoul and George had escaped once Jon had come over. _I'll get them later, _she thought. "Fine," she said, "And you did talk with me for hours."

Jon laughed, putting his arm around her shoulders, "Arguing with you over laws is not exactly what I meant." Alanna and Jon walked off to lunch, bantering just as they always had.

* * *

George and Jon were seated in the middle of the dining hall. Raoul spotted Alanna coming in with Jon. "I'll have to thank him later."

George guffawed and said, "You really should."

"You know that she'd come after you next, George."

"I've been married t'her long enough t'know that. But back t'what we were talkin' 'bout. Tonight's the night."

"It is," Raoul agreed, "But I almost feel bad about tricking Kel into this. What if it goes badly?"

"S'okay, Raoul. It'll be fine. I should be goin'. I told Alanna that I'd go take care'f the children after the meeting."

Raoul nodded and said, "I'll see you later. Don't be late."

George grinned slyly. "Don't worry 'bout me bein' late. Lateness is death in the world of shadows."

* * *

Kel was appraising her pile of dresses, deciding what to wear. It was unlike Kel to spend time on such of a feminine activity, but being trapped in her room, she had little to do. She decided on a deep purple gown with royal blue hems.

Raoul knocked on the connecting door, and Kel went to open it. "We have to leave in a half hour," he told her.

Kel fixed her hair and found her blue bag. Many court ladies carried little bags that held tubes of powders for their face. Kel had received several handbags from her court friends, but she used her bag for an entirely different purpose. Kel went over to her pile of weapons and chose a knife to slip into her bag. She picked up her Yamani _shusken, _a bladed fan, and added it to her bag as well. _It never hurts to have a backup weapon,_ she thought.

Kel went into Raoul's room, where he was putting the finishing touches on his outfit. Raoul was wearing one of his better tunics. Raoul turned around and asked Kel, "Ready to go?"

She smiled, not knowing what she was getting into and said, "Yes, let's go."

**Thanks to Karma Kat 281, stooooorm :), codie-shortie, spazzysassyangel, and emerald princess for reviewing. And thanks to all for reading. Question for all: Do you guys enjoy the bits that don't really pertain to the plot (ie Jon and Alanna scene)?**

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Raoul and Kel arrived at the restaurant right on time. Raoul told Kel, "Everyone should be here soon."

"Why did we get here so early then?" Kel asked.

"I wanted to make sure that we were here on time," he said with a nervous cough. Kel began to get suspicious; Raoul usually tried to be as late as possible for parties. About five minutes later, Baron George arrived with his son. _I think his name's Thom, _she thought, _but what are they doing here?_

"It's good to see you, George," Raoul said, slapping his friend on the back.

"Same goes t'you. Now why don't we introduce them?" George said, "Hello Keladry, this is my son, Thom."

"And Thom, this is my squire, Keladry. Have fun!" Raoul and George began to exit, arms around each other.

"Wait!" Kel stood up. "Are you setting me up?" she demanded to know.

Raoul grinned. "Why yes I am, my beloved squire. Don't you wish you had comforted me when I had to go on dates now?"

Kel glared at Raoul and told him, "I've said it before, and I'll say it again; you're a very bad man, sir."

Raoul simply laughed and said, "Don't leave your poor friend sitting there all by himself." Kel looked over at Thom guiltily, allowing Raoul to escape.

"So how much time do we give them?" Raoul asked George.

"A couple 'f hours," he responded, pointing through the window at Kel who was sitting down, looking defeated, "They need some time t'get t'know each other. And mayhap some extra. In the meantime, why don't we go get a drink at the Dancin' Dove?"

* * *

Sure enough, Kel was feeling defeated, as if she had been tricked by someone that she wholly trusted. "So how did you get dragged into this?" she asked Thom.

"It was Lord Raoul I suppose," he answered with a nervous laugh.

"It's always his fault," Kel murmured, "He tricks everyone into everything."

Thom smiled. "Does he trick you into things a lot?"

"Oh, all the time. I've learned to avoid him at night when he brings out the algebra." She laughed and asked, "What's it like having the Lioness as your mother?"

"Well I have to be careful not to make her angry or else it's bad news for me." He smiled. "But she's not around much," he admitted, "I wish she was a bit more, especially when I was younger. My mother would be gone for months on end, fighting for the crown. And my father would disappear for periods of time as well, but usually with more mysterious reasons, if any. But it was interesting, to say the least, growing up in my family."

"How so?"

"Well, Aly and Alan didn't help much. They create so much havoc that it's difficult to think, let alone sleep. They certainly keep my mother busy. And aside from my parents being absent frequently, we spent much of our time with the royal family and other nobles. I was always being whispered about, and if it was not me, it was my mother, or my father. I didn't really realize it my childhood was different from most until I was older because it was all I had ever known. But what about you Keladry─ what's it like having Lord Raoul as a knight-master?"

"Well, after four years of spending all my time with Lord Wyldon, I thought that the next four years would be just as painful. But I like him, and the Own. I mean, it's hard, but that's to be expected. It's much more fun than I had expected. Oh, and call me Kel." She smiled warmly. Kel found that it was immensely easy to talk with Thom. She didn't feel the pressure of being on a date, she simply felt as if she was talking with a friend.

"Had you hoped to squire for Lord Raoul?" Thom prodded.

"Actually, no. I had always dreamed of having your mother as my knight-mistress, even though I knew it was impossible. But I'm happy where I am now. In terms of skills, Lord Raoul is better fitted to me. Neal can keep the Lioness."

"I don't know if Neal would want to keep my mother as his knight-mistress. She works him to death, and enjoys yelling at him even more than she likes to scream at me. I typically don't envy him; training with my mother is not exactly a fun experience."

"Oh, Neal's told me stories, typically in which he ends up broken in some way, either mentally, physically, or both─ usually both."

Thom agreed, "That sounds about right."

* * *

At that moment, the Neal that Thom and Kel were speaking of was running late, very late. He cursed Dom, who he was practically _dragging_ through the city. _Why does he have to be so late all the time? Why couldn't he have been on time for just this once? _Neal wondered. He pulled on Dom's arm a bit harder, edging him to move faster.

"Ouch! You don't have to rip my arm off! We're already nearing a sprint," Dom gasped.

"Well my dear cousin, if you hadn't been so cursed late we wouldn't be in this situation. And plus, we're barely running. This is hardly a sprint."

"It's not my fault that you're in better shape than I am."

"Actually, it technically is. Just because the Lioness is the one that nearly trains me to death doesn't mean that you can't do the same to yourself. Here's the street."

After a few more yards of sprinting the duo burst into a tiny restaurant. Kel and Thom gazed up at a relieved Neal and a thoroughly exhausted Dom. "We're here!" Neal exclaimed.

**We're almost there! I would like to thank my readers and extra thanks to my reviewers for this chapter: Jasper Winked, somebody, MatOdin, codie-shortie, and darkakane!**

**Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

"Neal?" Kel asked incredulously, clearly stunned by Neal and Dom's sudden appearance, "What are _you_ doing here?"

Neal grinned. "Raoul and I decided to set you up on a blind date! And I brought my cousin to be your date," Neal announced, who clearly not had not noticed Thom's presence yet.

"You're setting me up with _Kel_?" Dom asked, obviously flabbergasted.

Neal's grin grew wider. "Yes," he announced before confusion crossed his face. "Wait, how do you know she's Kel?"

"I've known her for a long time, Meathead," Dom retorted, "We met in the Own." He turned around to greet Kel. "It's good to see you, Kel," he told her with a smile. "Wait, who are you?" he asked, finally noticing Thom.

"Thom of Trebond," he responded crisply, "Lord Raoul brought me here to be Lady Kel's date."

Dom slowly turned to his cousin. "I thought you said _I_ was her date," he told Neal, the smile fading from his face.

Neal looked from Thom to Dom to Kel. "I thought Raoul knew that I was bringing Kel's date, not him," he said, backing away slowly. "There must have been some confusion. Well, you three have fun together," he said warily before turning and running out the door.

"Neal!" Kel yelled, rising to her feet, "Come back here!" She knew that he heard her from the way he flinched, but he did not turn back. Kel slowly slunk into her seat, feeling trapped for the second time that night.

A long, awkward silence ensued. Thom finally broke it as he rose, announcing, "I should probably head back to the palace. My mother will be wondering where I was, and I don't want to upset her." He put on his coat, and disappeared out the door before Kel could bid him good night.

Kel stared at the swinging door, sad that Thom had left. She had really enjoyed talking to him, and now she was left alone with Dom. It wasn't that she didn't like being around Dom, but not in this sort of situation. She was supposed to fight alongside Dom, not have a candlelit dinner with him.

Kel heard Dom chuckle. "The irony is killing me," he told her, "I can't believe that Neal tried to se me up with you. He told me that I didn't know the girl. What a Meathead."

Kel smiled as best she could, but nevertheless turned the topic to something they could both talk about comfortably. She didn't need to talk about relationships with a fellow warrior, not one she spent so much time with. "So what do you think about the Own's new recruits?" she asked slowly, praying that Dom wouldn't try to revert back to the old topic.

But Kel had nothing to worry about; Dom eagerly launched into discussion about the potential of the new warriors. _That's one hurdle cleared, _she thought to herself, _now I just have to get through the rest of the night with him._

* * *

Somewhere in the middle of Corus, Neal was trying to find his way back to the palace. He had run from the small restaurant as fast as he could, trying his best to escape Kel. But he regretted that now, for he was hopelessly lost.

Neal cursed as he stepped another puddle, the filthy water splashing into his shoes. The sun had almost faded from the sky entirely, leaving him to find his way through the maze of streets in the dark. He was glad that he was wearing his sword, although he was still in the better part of the city.

Neal spent the next few hours becoming increasingly miserable as he went down street after street, searching for some sort of landmark. Eventually he stumbled onto a familiar street corner and managed to drag himself into the palace. Wet, tired and hopelessly miserable, he walked through the corridors until he reached his room. He listened at the connecting door for Alanna, but heard not even a snuffle; she must have been off enjoying herself with her family. Neal knew that he should be more suspicious, for she had caught him sneaking in only last week, but he was too tired to check more thoroughly for his fiery knight-mistress.

Neal collapsed onto his bed, stripping off his dank tunic. He knew his melancholy was far deeper than his miserable walk home, but he was unsure of its direct cause. He hadn't wanted to leave Kel with Dom and Thom, but he was too afraid of Kel and her glaive to stay.

What was Kel doing now? How was her date going? Questions swirled around his head, all of which concerned Kel. Did she wish that he had stayed? Would she have rather had him as her date? But there was nothing Neal could do but wait and ask Kel about her night in the morning. His eyes drifted shut from exhaustion, and he slipped into a deep sleep.

_A/N: I'm really sorry that it's been so long since my last chapter. I participated rather heavily in Goldenlake's SMACKDOWN, writing about 200 drabbles in the space of a month. After that experience I wasn't so keen on writing again, as you can imagine. I hope that it won't be nearly as long until the next chapter, especially since we're closing in on the end! Hurrah!_

_Please review! I really appreciate it!_


	10. Chapter 10

"Time to get to work," Raoul called, his voice shaking Kel out of a deep sleep she had been thoroughly enjoying. "We're going to start with jousting," he said with an evil grin before leaving the room. Kel grimaced and rolled out of bed. She was thoroughly exhausted after last night, and was in no mood to get struck with a lance.

The ride back to the palace with Raoul had been long, and while not as miserable as Neal's, it was still fairly painful. Raoul had pummeled her with questions for the entire ride, forcing Kel to recount almost every second of the long night.

When Raoul had returned to the restaurant to pick up Kel, he had been thoroughly shocked to see Dom where he had left Thom, which was what led to way too many questions. After an hour of torture, Raoul had finally let Kel go to sleep, mumbling something about Neal taking after "cursed interfering Alanna." Neither Kel nor Raoul brought the topic up in the days that ensued, although Kel continued to talk to Thom. In her mind, at least something beneficial had come out of the unfortunate date.

Kel had seen Dom briefly in the stables the day after, but he had simply nodded to her before tending to his horse. She was relieved that he had not attempted to court her after their silly date, relieved that she had avoided a potential disaster.

Kel was glad that the date seemed to be receding from everyone's memories. Just about everything was back to the way it was before Raoul's terrible plan, or at least it was before she saw Neal a few days later.

She had been leaving the mess hall when Neal, who was looking slightly nervous, came up behind her. "I need to talk to you," he told her, his voice low, "Can we meet in the courtyard later tonight?" Kel looked at Neal slightly oddly, but agreed nonetheless. She returned to Lord Raoul's office, where her knight-master was grinning with a large abacus in hand. "Time for algebra," he told Kel, who promptly groaned.

"Is this truly necessary?" she asked him.

He smiled again. "Yes. It's a vital part of our lessons together. But it'll only take a bit," he told her kindly.

* * *

A few hours later Kel was standing in the courtyard, waiting for Neal. _Of course he would be late, _Kel thought, _but I thought Lady Alanna would have taught him better._ A few seconds later, Neal ran into the courtyard, breathing heavily. "Sorry I'm late. My knight-mistress made sure that I completed some tasks that are _vital_ to my lessons," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"What are they?" Kel asked.

"Watching her children of course," Neal responded, "She claims that it gives me strength for dealing with the unendurable. But I see where she comes from. Her children are quite the handful. Try watching two twin lionesses, but with triple the energy apiece."

Kel winced sympathetically. "It certainly doesn't sound like a joy ride through the forest," she said before changing the topic. "So why did you want to meet me here?"

Neal's posture immediately stiffened. "I-I have to talk to you about something. I think I realized something last week, something that I should have known for a long time." Neal took in a deep breath, as if for support. "I think I love you," he told her quietly.

At first Kel was taken aback, stunned by Neal's announcement. She had been expecting anything but this. This was Neal, the squire who pined after unreachable ladies, the squire whose charming humor and looks could have snagged almost any court lady. Why would he love her?

But the more Kel thought about it, the more it fell into place. Did she not love him? Had she not thought about a moment like this for years? "I," she gasped, "I think I do too."

Neal slipped his hand into Kel's intertwining his fingers with hers. He pulled her against him gently, his free hand tousling her hair. "I'm glad," he whispered, "Shall we meet here again tomorrow?"

Kel nodded, trembling slightly at Neal's closeness. She was about to pull back when Neal leaned in and kissed her ever so slightly.

"Perhaps we should meet in there," Kel said, her voice cracking, as she pointed to a gray gardener's shed in the distance. Neal shook his head. "Let's go with the bush," he told her, signaling to the shrubbery behind them.

Kel nodded and stepped away from Neal. "I should go back to Lord Raoul's office before he wonder's where I've gone." She started backing up, stumbling slightly over the stones. Neal waved her goodbye before going to find his own knight-mistress. _Well that didn't go too badly, _he thought to himself.

**(A/N): Getting closer to the end! Not that there's no time for anymore twists...or perhaps Kel and Neal can be happy together. We'll find out...**

**Thank you ever so much for your support in reading this! I adore all of my readers, and my reviewers especially. I really appreciate all of you who take the time to type out a response!**


	11. Chapter 11

The next night Kel was wandering through the courtyard again, looking for the bush that concealed Neal. Or at least she looked for the bush that _would _conceal Neal, for he was probably late again. She glanced around to make sure that no one else was watching before darting into the bushes where Neal had told her to meet him.

"Ouch! Kel, you're on my foot."

Kel giggled and responded, "Sorry Neal." She tried to brush a branch out of her face, but ended up hitting something warm with her elbow.

"That was my ribs!" Neal complained. Kel giggled even harder than before.

"Well Mr. Smarty-Pants, I guess that the inside of a bush is not the best place to spend your time," Kel retaliated, "_I _was all for hiding in the abandoned shed over there, but you were too afraid of all the mice in it."

"Mice can be dangerous, you know," Neal defended.

"If you're a grasshopper." Kel snorted. "I however, am perfectly confident that I am bigger than a mouse, and therefore I am not afraid."

"Kel, perhaps we should be quiet. I don't believe that the Talking Shrub is the most common plant in Tortall."

Kel smiled and moved towards Neal. "I agree," she said, placing her arms on Neal's shoulders, "This is the perfect time to be quiet."

Neal smiled in response and lowered his face to hers. His lips brushed against hers, and a tingling sensation ran down Kel's spine. She found herself pulling Neal closer, deepening the kiss. His lips felt warm and full of passion as they enveloped hers. Her head was spinning and she felt as if she was falling. By the time she realized that she _was _falling, and that it was not just a sensation of passion, she had braced herself to hit the ground. However, it was not the cold and hard ground that she hit, but Neal's strong arms. He pulled Kel to her feet, welcoming her back with a kiss, which was well received.

The couple was enjoying themselves so entirely that they did not hear the scuffle of footsteps behind them. "Kel? Is that you?" the sound of Owen's incredulous voice behind them caused Neal and Kel to jump apart. "Wow Kel, I never would have thought…" Owen's voice trailed off out of astonishment.

"Neal!" Kel whispered, "What are we going to do? We can't have Owen knowing."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of this," Neal responded. Kel instantly felt bad for Owen, knowing what Neal had in mind. Neal, having the powers of a mage, was able to knock Owen out. "Now when he wakes up he'll just assume this all was a dream. Problem solved."

"Not quite Neal. If he wakes up here, he'll know something's up. We have to get him into bed. Can't you magic him there?"

"Umm…I probably could have, but that was before I used all my magic to knock him out. We're going to have to drag him." At this, Kel grimaced out of disgust. "Hey Kel," Neal joked, "At least he weighs less than you!" Kel promptly smacked Neal for this remark.

"Let's just start carrying him, Neal. I want to get to bed." As Neal went to pick up Owen's head, Kel told him, "_I'll _carry his head. Knowing you, you'll drop him, and then we'll have even a bigger problem on our hands."

As Kel and Neal were carrying Owen inside, Neal remarked, "So you don't want to spend the entire night with me? What does your bed have that mine doesn't? Or if you prefer, I could come to you."

Kel smacked Neal for this as well, who began to rub his arm. "Why are you so violent all the time? That _hurt,_" he complained. But Neal leaned over to Kel, touched his lips to hers once more and then whispered into her ear, "And that's okay." He gave Kel one last smile and slipped away. Kel wandered towards her room, dreaming about the days where she and Neal would no longer have to sneak around.

**A/N: This is slightly shorter than normal, but I think it kind of speaks for itself ;) All that's remaining is the epilogue, so we're almost done here! (Although the epilogue might take a bit of time because I don't completely know what I want to do with it- it needs to be special.)**

**I extend my extreme thanks to all of my readers and those who hae supported me through this story- one of my first- by reviewing. Please review! We're almost there, guys!**


	12. Epilogue

In the months that passed, the time that Kel spent with Neal became increasingly fleeting. Being a knight with a family was said to be one of the hardest balances to manage, and though they most certainly didn't have any children, having a secret relationship with a squire must have been just as difficult.

Both she and Neal knew that what they had couldn't last under the current conditions, and both of them still had a several more years of being squires. When Neal and Alanna were called for a mission in the Great Desert, Kel knew for sure that she and Neal should end their relationship before it turned sour. Kel would have given almost anything to preserve her friendship with Neal, and so she gave up the love she felt for him.

A few weeks after Kel and Neal decided to remain friends, Owen returned to Court with Lord Wyldon. Kel hadn't seen Owen in months; he had been sent with Lord Wyldon to the northern border for some time.

Seeing Owen now, Kel was reminded of how much she had missed him. She had forgotten how funny he was, how excited he could get over the simplest things, and how much she liked being around him. When Kel spent time with Owen he dragged her into his land of bliss, a place where she could be happy like no other. And her time with Neal had taught Kel to never overlook even the most unusual places for love.

The more often Kel was around Owen, the more she felt as if she could just possibly be falling for him. The sweetness of Owen's smile seemed to be ingrained in Kel's soul; it never left her mind. If she had told Neal that she loved Owen, he would have laughed himself silly and thought Kel to be crazy. But Kel saw something that no one else did in Owen, and she felt herself being drawn to it. Slowly but surely, Kel started to realize that what she felt for Owen was most definitely love, something more than she had felt for Neal.

When she no longer felt as if she could hold her secret in, she decided that she would have to tell Owen. Her heart was bursting from emotion, and she had to release it. The next morning when Kel saw Owen, her palms were sweaty from anxiety, but she forced herself to go over to him.

"Owen," she said, approaching his table slowly. He looked so sweet, sitting there alone, his big eyes softening as he looked at her. "I need to talk to you," she announced nervously, her voice cracking slightly.

Owen nodded, a slight curiosity in his eyes. "Should we go outside?" he asked perplexedly. Kel nodded in response, and the two lapsed into silence as they walked outside.

They stepped into the courtyard, strolling through the aisles between glimmering flowers. The sky was filled with orange and pink light, the sun hovering near the horizon. Kel stepped underneath a flowering tree and reached out to stroke the smooth bark before turning back to Owen. She took a deep breath before speaking, choosing her words wisely. "Owen─"

Suddenly Owen's voice rang out, preventing Kel from confessing the secret that was bursting within her. "I should have told you sooner, Kel," he said, drawing circles in the dirt with his shoes, "But I didn't know until recently."

"Know what?" Kel prodded, her interest perked.

Owen took in a deep breath before lifting his eyes to hers. "How much I love you," he said quickly, as if he was trying to expel the words before they caught in his throat. Owen's gray eyes bore into Kel's startled hazel ones with hope, hope that she possessed feelings for him as well. Kel gazed back at Owen, stunned at his declaration. She would have expected anything but that. Yes, it was what she had hoped for, but it was so sudden.

Unable to quickly gather her thoughts, she blurted, "I love you too!" Owen looked at her in wonder, his mouth slowly twisting into a grin. He paused for a moment, as if contemplating his next move, before reaching out and pulling Kel into his arms. Kel rested her head on his shoulder as he held her tight.

A comfortable silence overcame them as they stood there for a few moments, enjoying each other's company and embrace. Owen loosed his hold on Kel and stepped back to look at her. "I've been waiting to tell you for so long," he whispered, twining his fingers through hers, "But I just couldn't."

Kel smiled contentedly. "I'm glad you finally did." She glanced at the shadows on the ground and was shocked at how late it had become. "I should go," she said, sighing slightly.

Owen nodded. "Lord Wyldon will be wondering where I am as well." Kel began to turn, but Owen placed his had on her arm. "Before you go," he murmured and kissed her briefly. He turned away quickly, a blush rising in his cheeks.

"I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow. Perhaps we can go for a ride after then?" The sound of Kel's voice forced Owen to turn around. "That would be jolly," he told her, his voice slightly lower than normal. Kel nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "Good night, Owen," she whispered before disappearing like the sun as it dunked below the horizon.

* * *

Kel and Owen slowed their horses from a gallop, guiding them to the side of a stream. Kel dismounted and Owen followed suit. Slipping her shoes off, Kel dunked her toes in the chilly water. Owen slid beside her, slipping his hand into hers. He smiled at her, and she retuned the gesture, albeit more warily. "What are we going to do, Owen?" she asked. "We can hardly tell our knight masters, and we're not going to be knights for some time!"

"We'll take it a day at a time," Owen said soothingly. "I can wait. And you..." Owen's voiced trailed off, doubt filling his eyes.

Kel's mind reeled with questions. Could she wait it out? Could she hide her feelings for Owen from everybody for years? Being with Owen was different from any other relationship she had ever had; Owen understood her, unlike Cleon had. She and Neal had eventually come to the consensus that they were better as friends. Would she and Owen come to feel the same way?

Looking into Owen's face, recognizing the hope in gaze, Kel knew that what she and Owen shared was worth saving. "Yes Owen," she said, beaming happiness, "We'll wait. One day at a time."

* * *

Looking back, Kel smiled at the irony. Neal and Raoul could set her up, even with two dates, but no one could find love for her. That was something she had to do for herself, even when it was right in front of her.

**And that just about wraps it all up! What do you think? Are you shocked, gleeful, horrified, frusrated, stunned? Did you see it coming? Do you hate me now? Do you think I ruined the story? Tell me what you think; I really want to know (even the bad things)!**

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing this story! It really means a lot to me :)**


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